The City of Dallas Charter Review Commission announced Wednesday that it has extended the deadline for submitting proposed amendments to the Dallas Charter.
The decennial review is being undertaken in compliance with Chapter II, Section 3 of the Dallas Charter, which states, “At intervals of not more than 10 years … the Charter shall be reviewed by a commission appointed by the council.”
The initial deadline for submitting proposed amendments to the review commission was Friday, December 15, but that deadline has now been extended until Friday, January 19, 2024, according to a news release sent to The Dallas Express.
After receiving all of the proposed amendments, the commission must review them and submit its recommendations to the Dallas City Council no later than May 21, 2024.
In order to review all of the proposals by this deadline, the commission will be meeting twice a month through March 2024.
The city council will then review the suggestions from the commission and vote on which amendments will be included on the November 5, 2024, ballot for Dallas voters.
Allen Vaught, chairman of the Charter Review Commission, noted that “[p]ublic engagement is critical to this process.”
“Extending the time to submit amendments a few more weeks will allow the public and stakeholders additional time to consider the kind of constitution they want to have for their local government,” Vaught said in the release.
This extension comes just days after Dallas City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn announced that she submitted multiple proposed amendments to the Charter, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Among the proposed amendments from Mendelsohn are increased transparency and term limits for city council members.
Residents of Dallas are also invited by the City to recommend amendments, which can be done in multiple ways: Those wishing to propose amendments can email [email protected], call 214-671-5148, fill out either an online or mail-in form, or submit the proposition in person at Dallas City Hall.
